


Going Back to the Corner

by orphan_account



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2014-08-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 05:17:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2097147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jimmy Price is stuck in his daily routine, doing the same thing during his lunch break every day. That is until the guy who plays guitar on the street corner decides to sing a song to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going Back to the Corner

**Author's Note:**

> [Preller Network Prompt](http://prellernet.tumblr.com): First Meeting (And second, and third).
> 
> For [Roxanne](http://thisjabroni.tumblr.com), I hope it makes you feel a bit better

Jimmy’s lunch time routine was second nature to him after ten years working in the same place. Every day he would walk from this laboratory into the city centre, buying some food from the Crawford’s Sandwich Shop. He would then walk towards the park, past the guy always wearing the same scruffy leather jacket who would be playing an acoustic cover of a rock song, and then find his bench and start eating.

He never paid much attention to what was going on around him, his minding usually running over research and experiments and science conferences, or the rude phone call he’d had from his research sponsor. It was only this particular day that, as he walked towards the park, something changed.

As he turned the corner and saw the guitarist, the stranger’s face broke into a grin. Jimmy looked over his shoulder to see who the grin was directed at, but no one else was paying attention to the man. He looked again, he’d never realised before how handsome the man was – tall, just the right amount of facial hair, messy curls that looked like they’d never seen a brush.

“ _There’s this guy who walks past me every day,”_ the man started improvising, Jimmy’s face flushed red and he looked over his shoulder again, praying that this was being aimed at someone else. “ _I want to talk to him, but I don’t know what to say…”_

Jimmy stuck his hand into his jacket pocket, his fingers curling around some loose change. He dropped it into the man’s guitar case, letting it clatter against the small amount of money that was already in there, and then hurried off trying not to look back. When he was a few meters away the music stopped, and Jimmy relaxed making his usual route through the park until he sat himself down on his bench, overlooking the lake.

He took a bite out of his baguette just as someone sat down next to him, he gave them a polite nod whilst wishing they had found a different bench, and then realised who it was.

“Sorry about that, I needed the change for a cup of coffee,” the man said, resting his guitar case on the ground between his knees.

“Why didn’t you just ask me for a cup of coffee then?” Jimmy asked him, now looking at his own food and drink and wondering if he should offer the stranger some.

“That seemed a bit forward, I didn’t want to embarrass you,” he man laughed. Jimmy smiled at the joke. It was hard not to when the man next to him seemed to light up with every comment. “I’m Brian, by the way, international rock star you’ve probably heard of me and got all my albums at home there’s no need to be shy.”

“International rock star who play outside a park every day for spare change?” Jimmy asked. Brian shrugged.

“I do it for the fans, man,” he said. Jimmy thought it was best not to point anything out about his lifestyle when he didn’t know the man.

“I’m Jimmy,” he said instead, outstretching his hand, trying not to drop his baguette with the other. Brian took his hand and shook it. On closure inspection Jimmy noticed how tired the other man looked up close, for a few meters he could easily pull off the ‘just got out of bed and don’t give a fuck’ look, but Jimmy suspected it was more due to the fact the guy was having a rough time of it. “Do you need… some money, or lunch, or anything?” he asked, trying not to make it sound like the guy was a charity case.

“No, this is just a… you know, a cover. I’m pretty down to earth for a rock star,” Brian mumbled. Jimmy raised his eyebrows, but didn’t want to argue with a guy he’d just met. Brian picked up his guitar case. “Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the money,” Brian said, and then left without looking back.

Jimmy spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about him, his mind wandering from his work every few minutes until his lab partner, Beverly Katz, snapped at him for dropping a test tube and scattering glass all over one of the benches.

He hurried back home that night thinking about his lunch break the next day.

***

Jimmy could hear Brian singing before he’d walked around the corner, before he came into sight he stopped and listened. He’d walked this way every day for ten years, this guy had been there for at least a year now, but Jimmy only just realised that he was actually pretty good. He opened his wallet, and took a handful of notes he’d taken out the ATM before he’s bought his lunch and marched over to the musician.

“Do you take requests?” Jimmy asked, putting the money into the case. Brian’s eyes widened as he quickly counted fifty dollars being handed over to him. Then stared back at Jimmy.

“Take that back,” Brian shook his head. He bent down to pick up the money, but by the time he stood up Jimmy was jogging down the street back towards his lab. For the first time in ten years, he didn’t eat in the park.

***

“Hey, _you!_ ” Brian stopped mid song to yell at Jimmy as he turned the corner. He tried to look confused, but could stop himself grinning. “Please take your money back, I can’t accept that much from you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I never gave you any money,” Jimmy said. Brian opened his mouth to reply, then rolled his eyes. “I’m going to have lunch, you coming?”

“Let me buy you lunch,” Brian asked, his hand going to his pocket that was currently housing Jimmy’s bank notes, feeling like they were burning a hole in his jeans.  

“I already bought lunch,” Jimmy said. “For both of us,” he added. The turned his back, assuming Brian would follow. Brian stood where he was in deliberation, he didn’t want to accept lunch after what Jimmy had already given him, but he also happened to like Jimmy _a lot_. In the end he pack up his guitar and followed the other man into the park.

“You know, frogs use sound as part of their mating rituals as well,” Jimmy said as Brian sat, earning himself a look of confusion. “Well, lots of animals do, but I find frogs particularly interesting.”

“Of course… who doesn’t,” Brian laughed. Jimmy handed him some sandwiches and a can of coke.

“Yeah, the males use sound to tell the female frogs where they are, how willing they are to mate and to defend their territory,” Jimmy continued, taking a bite. Brian copied him, trying not to rush. He didn’t want Jimmy to know how hungry he actually was.

“What’s this got to do with anything?” Brian asked with his mouth full. Jimmy’s grinned, trying not to laugh, wondering how much Brian was pretending to be confused, but certain that he knew exactly what Jimmy was hinting at. “Are you calling me a frog?”

“If you were a frog you’d be a hit with the ladies,” Jimmy said. Brian laughed, throwing his whole body back. Jimmy watched in fascination, realising that his flirting technique was odd to say the least. Brian didn’t seem to mind.

“What about the male frogs though?” Brian asked. “Because there’s this one guy who seems pretty cool.”

Jimmy stumbled over what to say, not expecting the blunt reciprocation.  

“Come on, you don’t want to turn down an international rock star do you? I’ve got plenty of options, man, but you’re the one I’m having lunch with today.”

“Well when you put it like that,” Jimmy said. Brian smiled again, looking pleased with himself. “But wait, I don’t know anything about you and you don’t know anything about me.”

Brian stared at him for a minute, then shoved the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. As he finished chewing he stood up and picked up his guitar case.

“That’s the fun of it, Jimmy. Same time tomorrow? Maybe I’ll write you a song,” he said, calling the last sentence over his shoulder as he walked away. Jimmy sat with his mouth half open. _This has been a strange week_ , he thought to himself.


End file.
